A cooking device having a fat drain is disclosed in DE 296 23 987. The fat drain is arranged in the bottom of the cooking chamber so that fat and other residues can be drained vertically downward through a pipe and into a collecting container. The pipe is provided with a valve so that the pipe and, hence, the fat drain can be closed off when the collecting container is to be exchanged. In addition, it is advisable to close the valve when an automatic cleaning program is executed in the cooking device, which is intended to clean the cooking chamber and various other functional components of the cooking device from dirt. If an operator fails to close the valve, part of the liquid used for cleaning runs through the fat drain and into the collecting container. In this case, not only the fat in the collecting container needs to be disposed of, but also the water accumulating therein. Since, however, the costs of fat disposal are comparatively high, it is basically undesirable to still add water to the fat to be disposed of.
WO 2010/128457 A2 discloses a cooking device with a fat drain having an electrically controlled valve associated therewith. This document describes that the valve can be opened in dependence on the respective cooking program used and that it preferably remains closed to the greatest possible extent. Use of such a valve can prevent that part of the cleaning liquid is drained off unintentionally through the fat drain during a cleaning program.
The object of the present invention is to further develop a cooking device of the type initially mentioned to the effect that it is prevented with a reduced effort that any larger quantities of the cleaning liquid exit through the fat drain in an undesirable manner during a cleaning program.